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Does anyone have any intel as to whether the requirements for a clerkship with a retired justice (i.e., grades) are meaningfully different from those required for an active justice?

There are only two slots a year, one with Breyer and one with Kennedy. Both jobs will be highly coveted. I wouldn't count on either relaxing their grade standards, though they may put more emphasis on recommendations than they did as active justices.

Kennedy has hired his buddies kids twice now, so I wouldn’t rate any chances particularly high without serious connections.

Two of Kennedy's few hires since retiring have been people who did not look competitive for SCOTUS on paper. But Kennedy has always loved the well-connected, and just because he's willing to bend for them doesn't mean he would be willing to bend for you.

Does Souter take clerks?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 04, 2022 8:49 am

Does Souter take clerks?

Not anymore, he stopped a couple of years ago

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 03, 2022 6:19 pm

There are only two slots a year, one with Breyer and one with Kennedy. Both jobs will be highly coveted. I wouldn't count on either relaxing their grade standards, though they may put more emphasis on recommendations than they did as active justices.

Is Breyer sitting on CA1/any circuit in retirement?

Chokenhauer wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 04, 2022 7:14 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 03, 2022 6:19 pm

There are only two slots a year, one with Breyer and one with Kennedy. Both jobs will be highly coveted. I wouldn't count on either relaxing their grade standards, though they may put more emphasis on recommendations than they did as active justices.

Is Breyer sitting on CA1/any circuit in retirement?

Breyer has been a somewhat regular presence in the CA1 courthouse in Boston during summers. I would not be surprised if he occasionally sits, although I don't think he'll sit nearly as often as Souter did (for many years Souter was as active as the senior circuit judges were on CA1, but I believe he's recently pared down his workload).

Would there be any career benefit to clerking for a retired justice?

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 20, 2023 9:18 pm

Would there be any career benefit to clerking for a retired justice?

Yes, you're still clerking for the Supreme Court and you get lent to active Justices.

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 20, 2023 9:18 pm

Would there be any career benefit to clerking for a retired justice?

It's every bit as sought-after as a clerkship with an active justice. If anything, it might be a better gig, because you become part of two different justices' networks (the retired one, and the active one that you are lent to).

Gorsuch clerked for retired Justice White and was lent to Kennedy, who clearly considered Gorsuch one of "his" clerks.

Just as competitive as any other SCOTUS position, with the caveat that Kennedy's hiring has gotten even more Kennedyish since he retired

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 21, 2023 3:52 pm

Just as competitive as any other SCOTUS position, with the caveat that Kennedy's hiring has gotten even more Kennedyish since he retired

What’s that supposed to mean?

Chokenhauer wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 2:23 pm

Anonymous User wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 21, 2023 3:52 pm

Just as competitive as any other SCOTUS position, with the caveat that Kennedy's hiring has gotten even more Kennedyish since he retired

What’s that supposed to mean?

I'm assuming even more willing to hiring based on connections